In the photography industry, lighting is critical to the setting up of photographic shots. Often, light sources have to be positioned above the subject being photographed. In some cases, the light source must also be positioned at a specific angle from the vertical in order for the light to strike the subject at the appropriate angle. The positioning of the light source has traditionally been accomplished using a boom stand. Usually these boom stands include a telescoping boom arm mounted onto a central column with the central column being held in a substantially vertical position by supporting legs. The stand is usually provided with a mechanism for allowing the boom arm to pivot relative to the column, and to be locked into position when the boom arm is at the desired angle with respect to the column. The light source is attached to the end of the telescoping boom arm and its height above the floor is adjusted by adjusting the angle of the boom relative to the column.
Traditional boom stands are bulky devices which are usually difficult to assemble. A few stands are collapsible and permit the boom arm to fit within the column when the device is not in use. U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,684 to Kobayashi discloses a stand useful for supporting musical instruments such as symbols and includes a hollow centre post having collapsible legs attached thereto, a stem (boom arm) pivotally attached to the centre post by a tilter block assembly, and a lock mechanism for locking the stem in place. The device is only adequate for supporting smaller items such as symbols. U.S. Pat. No. 2,031,097 to Bucky discloses a collapsible stand having a hollow central column with attached folding legs, a boom arm pivotally attached to the central column by a tilter mechanism, and a means for locking the boom into place. The tilter mechanism is a key feature of the device because it permits the device to support heavy items such as large lights or cameras.
All of the existing stands are adequate for their intended uses, but there is a need for a stand which can position the boom at a wide variety of angles relative to the column. Existing stands, such as those disclosed by Bucky and Kobayashi, all make use of a tilting mechanism which allows the boom arm to pivot about the column at only one specific point. Furthermore, the tilting mechanisms disclosed by the prior art do not permit the boom arm to be positioned at small angles relative to the column.